The boy and the tortoise

The boy and the tortoise

One day, a young boy was walking in the woods with his trusty hunting dog when he stumbled upon a turtle. Curious, and doing what dogs do, she sniffed the turtle's rear, and the turtle began to talk. 

“Excuse me, sir, can you ask your dog to resist the urge to sniff my rear?” said the turtle.  

“Oh yes, Mr. Turtle,” replied the boy. 

“And another thing – I am a tortoise, not a turtle.”

“Oh,” replied the boy. “I did not know there was a difference. You see, I was going to bring you home so that we can eat you.”  

“Oh, please don’t do that!” exclaimed the tortoise. “For starters, I will not taste good, not like our turtle cousins. Secondly, I am old and magical and will tell you a story if you let me live.” 

The boy agreed and sat down as the old tortoise prepared to tell the boy a tale of old. This old tortoise had been around for a few years, for he was well over 100 years old.  

“Young man, I knew your great-grandfather. We met when he was building the barn you play in. I believe the year was 1858. Your great-grandfather was a curious fellow, much like you, and he decided to test a theory of his. He wanted to know if a tortoise could beat a rabbit in a race. 

“The race course was laid out. It consisted of two laps around the old barn. The whole farm gathered around to watch the race – horses, cows, goats, chickens, pigs, and even the old goose graced us with her presence.  

“That old rabbit was so arrogant. He mocked me and made the most hurtful comments. I walked up to the starting line and gave your great-grandfather a nod to let him know that I was ready.  

“Bang! The pistol went off and the race was on. The old rabbit darted out in a flash! He had rounded the first corner before I had taken 4 steps. I was not discouraged. Placing one foot in front of the other, I was running my race. I just needed to finish.

“The rabbit lapped me as I made the first turn, and then the most curious thing happened.  The rabbit just stopped.  He looked at me with a shit-eating grin and said, ‘ Why don’t you just quit? You will never beat me. I am faster, better looking, and taste far better than you ever could.’  

“I did not let his words get to me. I just kept walking, one step at a time.  I made my way around the barn for the first time. When I passed the rabbit, he was sleeping. Such arrogance. I just kept walking.  

“As I approached the finish line, the barnyard burst into cheers! The rabbit was suddenly jolted back into reality, and he took off like a flash of lightning.  By now, it was too late for him. I had just crossed the finish line, and the farmer was there waiting – not for the winner, but rather for the loser.  

“His hand moved faster than any animal had ever seen. He snatched the rabbit up by his ears and snapped his neck like a twig. The farmer looked at me and smiled. ‘Tortoise,’ he said, ‘I knew you would win the race. I knew that you understood the philosophy of life; it is not the fastest, nor the most talented – it is he who believes in himself and never gives up that wins the race of life.’” 

The boy sat there for a moment and asked the simplest of questions, “Why this story?”